Raul Roulien

Raul Roulien (born Raul Entini Pepe Acolti Gil; October 8, 1905 – October 8, 2000) was a Brazilian actor, singer, screenwriter and film director.[1] He is widely considered the first male Brazilian star in Hollywood.

Raul Roulien
Born
Raul Entini Pepe Acolti Gil

(1905-10-08)October 8, 1905
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
DiedSeptember 8, 2000(2000-09-08) (aged 94)
São Paulo, Brazil
Occupation
  • actor
  • singer
  • screenwriter
  • film director
Years active1931–1970
Spouse(s)Abigail Maia (1928–?) (divorced)
Tosca Izabel (?-1933) (her death) (automobile accident)
Conchita Montenegro (1935–?) (divorced)
Valkyrie de Almeida (?-2000) (his death)

He worked briefly in Hollywood in the waning days of the American movies' embrace of the "Latin lover" (a title invented for the Italian actor Rudolph Valentino), a phenomenon that encouraged the Jewish-American actor Jacob Krantz to change his name to Ricardo Cortez.

Raul began recording in 1928 and grew in reputation as a theater actor and composer as well, being the greatest Brazilian heartthrob of his time. That same year, he formed the theatrical company Abgail Maia-Raul Roulien, with then wife, actress Abgail Maia, authoring a genre called "frivolity theater", which were quick shows that took place between breaks in the cinema.

In 1931, at the age of 29, with his talent and good looks, he went to the United States and was signed to 20th Century Fox, where he worked between 1931 and 1934. His career spanned a total of 18 films, including Delicious (1931) and Flying Down to Rio (1933), the latter starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their first dance together.

Life and career

Raul Roulien was born Raul Entini Pepe Acolti Gil on October 8, 1905, in Botafogo, a beachfront neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a child, he used to sing all the time. He started his artistic career at age eight, as Raul Pepe, and he is reported to have performed to then President of Brazil Rodrigues Alves and to Brazilian writer, and his godfather, Ruy Barbosa.

While visiting one of his brothers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he was hired to sing at Cine Porteño. There, he rose to fame as a chansonier, a pianist and a composer, and began to pursue a career in the theater. In 1928, back in Brazil, he founded the "Abgail Maya-Raul Roulien Theater Company", with then wife, actress Abgail Maia, and created a performance genre called "Theater of Frivolity," which were quick shows that took place between movie sessions.

In 1931, divorced from Abgail, he went to New York and was signed to 20th Century Fox, as an actor, where he worked until 1934. He made his debut in a Spanish-language version of the 1931 Hollywood film Charlie Chan Carries On, called There Were Thirteen (1931). His second movie was Delicious (1931), directed by David Butler, where Roulien played a Russian composer, and sang "Delishious", written by George Gershwin. In 1932, he starred in Careless Lady, State's Attorney, and The Painted Woman; and in 1933, in No Dejes la Puerta Abierta, El Último Varon Sobre La Tierra, and It's Great to Be Alive. That same year, he starred in the movie for which he is best remembered, Flying Down to Rio, as part of a romantic triangle with Gene Raymond and Dolores del Río, and for singing "Orchids in the Moonlight". The production is also memorable for featuring the first Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers cinematic pairing.

Stage and film work

Films
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1931 There Were Thirteen Max Minchin
1931 Delicious Sascha Singing "Delishious"
1932 Careless Lady Luis Pareda
1932 State's Attorney Señor Alvarado Uncredited
1932 The Painted Woman Jim Kikela
1933 El Último Varon Sobre La Tierra Ralph Martin
1933 Primavera en otoño Juan Manuel Valladres
1933 It's Great to Be Alive Carlos Martin
1933 No Dejes la Puerta Abierta Raul
1933 Flying Down to Rio Julio Ribeiro First Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers pairing
Singing "Orchids in the Moonlight"
1934 Granaderos del Amor Erich Remberg / Pierre Laval
1934 The World Moves On Carlos Girard (1825) / Henri Girard (1914)
1935 Asegure a Su Mujer Ricardo Randall
1935 Piernas de Seda Frank Alton
1935 Te Quiero Con Locura Alberto Foster
1937 O Grito da Mocidade Raul Melo
1939 El Grito de la Juventud Director
1939 Aves Sem Ninho Director
1947 Road to Rio Cavalry Officer Uncredited, (final film role)
1948 Asas do Brasil Story, screenwriter, director

Stage
Production Year Theater Note(s) Ref(s)
Malibu 1938 – Director [2]
Prometo Ser Infiel 1941 Teatro-Cassino Copacabana Also director and translator [3]
Patinho de Ouro 1941 Teatro-Cassino Copacabana Also director [4]
Garçon 1941 Teatro-Cassino Copacabana Also director [5]
Alguns Abaixo de Zero 1941 Teatro Boa Vista Also director [6]
Trio em Lá Menor 1941 Teatro Boa Vista Also writer and director [7]
Diana, Eu Te Amo 1941 Teatro Boa Vista Also director [8]
Coração 1941 Teatro Boa Vista Also writer and director [9]
Na Pele do Lobo 1942 Teatro Regina Also director and translator [10]

References
  1. Solomon p.331
  2. "Malibu". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. n.d. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  3. "Prometo Ser Infiel". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  4. "Patinho de Ouro". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  5. "Garçon". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  6. "Alguns Abaixo de Zero". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  7. "Trio em Lá Menor". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  8. "Diana, Eu Te Amo". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  9. "Coração". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  10. "Na Pele do Lobo". Itaú Cultural. Itaú Unibanco. February 23, 2017. ISBN 978-85-7979-060-7. Retrieved September 1, 2019.

Bibliography
  • Aubrey Solomon. The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland, 2011.


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